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At a glance: council and board approve chicken ordinance, equipment purchases, street vacation and investment plan
Summary
Falls City approved a chicken ordinance (2025‑106), recommended purchases of power‑plant parts and a service truck body, approved a street vacation and adopted an investment strategy to place reserve funds; several items were passed by supermajority or unanimous votes during the Aug. 19 session.
The Falls City Council and the Board of Public Works took a series of votes on Aug. 19 on a mix of ordinances, purchases and financial decisions:
- Ordinance 2025‑106 (prohibiting fowl except chicken hens within city limits, establishing permit application and fee requirements and penalties): final reading passed (clerk reported 5 yeas, 1 nay). The mayor had opened a brief public comment period; a resident (speaker 11) asked whether permits would require liability insurance and vaccinations; staff said current livestock permit language provides the template and no insurance requirement is in place now.
- Resolution to select Olson as the engineering services provider for the Energy Forward transmission improvement project: the selection committee’s recommendation was approved (clerk recorded 6 yeas).
- Downtown revitalization (CDBG) reallocation: staff asked to move $56,353.75 from commercial rehabilitation to sidewalk construction after some rehab applicants fell through; council approval included an identified additional local match in the future budget of $14,088.44. Motion and vote recorded in the public hearing.
- Power plant parts purchase via interlocal agreement with Nebraska City: board recommended that council approve a Falls City share of $22,075 to obtain decommissioned parts (notably cylinder heads) that are otherwise unobtainable; board vote carried and recommendation forwarded to council.
- Purchase of a service truck body for the gas department (budgeted item) from American Equipment Company totaling $16,005.28: board recommended and council moved to approve due to exceeding the $15,000 threshold.
- Ordinance 2025‑105 vacating a portion of East 8th Street (Gates addition), subject to utility easements and recording with the register of deeds: final reading approved following suspension of rules.
- Investment strategy for up to $20,000,000 of reserve funds: staff presented options and council voted to place $10,000,000 in a 12‑month instrument and $10,000,000 in a 24‑month instrument with Frontier Bank; recorded vote was 5 yeas, 1 abstention.
Votes at a glance (recorded outcomes in meeting): several items passed by unanimous or supermajority votes; where the clerk announced a specific tally it is recorded above. Items requiring further council action (e.g., procurement for SEL devices, and final council approval for power‑plant parts purchase) were forwarded with board recommendations.
